The Erleigh Cantors did a long weekend this summer, including a Friday evensong. There were four services and a lot of music (we did introits) so I’ll just refer to some highlights.<\/p>\n
The only totally new piece to me was the Langlais Messe Solennelle<\/i> referred to in the last posting here. The organ was well suited to this piece, though the Benedictus must be one of the loudest pieces I’ve ever sung during communion! A few of us (myself included) put in the top C’s in the Hosannas.<\/p>\n
New in part was Palestrina’s Tu es Petrus<\/i> which I’ve only previously sung from a cut-down version, without the central section which is included in European Sacred Music<\/i>.<\/p>\n
We did again some music from previous visits, such as the Robert Fayrfax faux-bordon canticles (in fact only the Mag is by Fayrfax – the composer of the Nunc is unknown and the descant is by the editor!), Wood’s expansive canticles in F and Rubbra in A flat. This last was described by our conductor on a previous occasion as ‘a piece for organ and a piece for choir, to be performed simultaneously’! Also Lassus’ Justorum Animae<\/i>, which we have been trying and failing to slip into the order of service as an introit for a couple of years!<\/p>\n
Some things about Gloucester haven’t changed since I visited with Priory Voices in 2003<\/a>. The five-and-a-half octave piano in the choir rehearsal room hasn’t been replaced yet, and it can still take a long time to get served with food and drink (I’m not especially thinking of the Cathedral refectory here).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Erleigh Cantors did a long weekend this summer, including a Friday evensong. There were four services and a lot of music (we did introits) so I’ll just refer to some highlights. The only totally new piece to me was … Continue reading